Holding my Hope in my Heart
by Lovesick Fangirl
Summary: Ritsu has an accident and is left comatose and just when everyone tells Mio it's time to let her go and move on, something miraculous happens... (THIS IS ONE OF THOSE WEIRD ONES WHERE THE MAIN IS JUST ANNOUNCED AS 'YOU' AND I'M REFERRING THAT IN THIS WAY BECAUSE I'VE FORGOTTEN THE PROPER NAME FOR IT CAUSE LIFE)
1. Chapter 1

**SUMMARY: Ritsu has an accident and is left comatose and just when everyone tells Mio it's time to let her go and move on, something miraculous happens... (THIS IS ONE OF THOSE WEIRD ONES WHERE THE MAIN IS JUST ANNOUNCED AS 'YOU' AND I'M REFERRING THAT IN THIS WAY BECAUSE I'VE FORGOTTEN THE PROPER NAME FOR IT CAUSE LIFE)**

 **A/N : So I read something that made me kinda wanna write something along similar lines if not with a few different things thrown in here and there and (hopefully) with fixed grammar and spellings and everything but then I suddenly got a whole new idea of my own entirely which I've decided to do entirely as a one shot, not split into chapters which means you might wanna get comfy cause this is gonna be a long one... But other than that I hope your hearts are prepared cause I'mma fuck with your emotions today...**

 ******THIS HAS BEEN UPDATED SO THAT MINOR SPELLING ERRORS/GRAMMAR ERRORS HAVE BEEN REMOVED AND A FEW EXTRA LINES HAVE BEEN ADDED EVEN THOUGH THEY WON'T HAVE ANY REAL IMPACT ON THE STORY THEY JUST FIT IN WELL AND ADD A BIT MORE DETAIL TO THE SCENE! IF YOU NOTICE ANY OTHER MISTAKES PLEASE LET ME KNOW AS I WOULD LIKE THIS STORY TO BE AS MUCH OF A SMOOTH READ AS POSSIBLE WHICH MEANS NO MISTAKES! I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT I MAY AT A LATER DATE UPDATE THIS STORY AGAIN WITH AN EXTRA SCENE SO JUST BE READY IF THIS IS THE CASE!******

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own an of the characters in this fanfiction except for the OC, all and any rights of the other characters go to Reiko Yoshida and Naoko Yamada.**

 **NOTE: In this fanfiction, Mio, Ritsu, Yui and Mugi are all in their final year of University, Azusa is in her third (Or second, I'm not 100% sure how it works over in the states) and they all went to School in America instead of staying in Japan and Of Course, the Light Music Club is still going strong!**

 **PAIRING(S): Mainly Ritsu/Mio but will have some Yui/Azusa and Mugi/OC (The Mugi/OC will come in another chapter that I will begin writing soon so just wait for a bit all of you Mugi fans and there will be more Yui/Azusa in coming chapters too... - Patience is a virtue, all!)**

 **RATING: T - This fanfiction will NOT contain any Lesbian/Yuri/Shojou Ai Smut but will however have foul language, implications and crude thoughts, if you don't like that then don't read, You have been warned.**

* * *

You were crossing the road when it happened. Going about your business when you were suddenly struck with pain all over and an incredible ache in the back of your skull. You could suddenly see the night sky and just about hear the shouts from people around you but they sounded relatively distant, the music you had been playing through your headphones suddenly gone.

Mugi and Azusa hover above you with horrified looks of sheer panic on their faces, Mugi holding a cellphone to her ear as she calls someone, who, you don't know. The thought that it could be Mio crosses your mind.

She's the last thing you think of before everything went black.

* * *

You smack your stick on the skin of the drum, ringing out the final note to the song, and smile as she turns to look at you from the front of the group where she had been singing your newest song.

Mio Akiyama, your girlfriend of 3 years now smiles back, knowing that the lyrics of the song have reached you fully, which is good, considering she wrote them for you. Mugi, Yui and Azusa all huddle forwards at the front of the group as she wanders around the drum kit to your side.

"So what did you think?" She asks as the faintest trace of a blush tints her cheeks. You smile softly and lean forwards to place a small peck on her cheek. You can feel her smile before you pull away.

"You were absolutely stunning as always Mio," You reply cheekily, grin widening when her blush becomes a full on crimson and you can feel the heat coming off her face. You would think that after 3 years, Mio would have gotten used to your compliments and teasing but at the same time you just adore the cute bashfulness she adapts when she's embarrassed, so it doesn't bother you hugely.

"B-Baka..." She mumbles out jokingly, softly bopping you on the head as punishment. She used to hit much harder when you teased her but now Mio is as careful as ever with you unless she's incredibly mad. Luckily for you that only happened one time and from then on you vowed to never get on Mio's bad side again, even if she did feel guilty afterwards and baby you in a way that you found immensely comforting (but you weren't about to admit that out loud even though Mio had figured it out ages ago).

"Hey, do you wanna eat out tonight or stay in any ways?" You ask, pushing teasing away for the moment in favour of sorting out today's dinner plans. You lean back and await comfortably for her answer.

Mio plops down on you lap in response, eyes gleaming with a hint of mischief and desire when she replies:

"I think we ought to stay in..."

You smirk inwardly and nod, comfortably slipping your arms around her waist as she loops hers around your neck.

"I'll pick up some take out on the way back from work after school with Mugi and Azusa." Mio hums her approval and you lean up slightly to gently peck the base of her neck before you call everyone back to attention to practise more, relinquishing your hold on Mio and allowing her to stand back up and once again don her precious base.

* * *

You, Mugi and Azusa had just stepped out of your shared workplace, a small diner where you work as waitresses and occasionally preform from time to time. As the three of you walk down the street you notice that Mugi has suddenly stopped and is staring intensely at a stand off to the side that appears to be selling something thats obviously caught her eye.

"Mugi-chan! C'mon, we need to go!" Azusa complains as she tugs on Mugi's arm but suddenly something catches her eye too and your left standing there by yourself.

You smile to yourself and shake your head, laughing lightly. This happens almost every day, your not sure why Azusa even bothers to fight it anymore.

"I'm just gonna pop ahead of you guys a bit so I can grab me and Mio some dinner for tonight, 'kay?" They nod silently, not tearing their eyes away from the stand and you chuckle once more before you slip in your headphones and step up to the curb.

This part of town always has incredibly dangerous traffic at this time and at Mio's request you make sure you stop to check both ways every time you cross over to your favourite Chinese take out place.

Your halfway across the road when the truck comes barrelling out of nowhere and speeds past the red light, Hitting you in the process.

* * *

 **(A/N: Heh, I hope your prepped for a P.O.V change cause we're flipping over to Mio for most of this now... Also be prepped for all the angst about to hit your heart like a freight train!)**

* * *

Your shaking as you run out to your car, not caring if you break any speed limits on the way to the hospital.

All you can think about is Ritsu. What Mugi said over the phone. It's all you can do right now not to break down into tears at the wheel and instead just hope to god that she's okay.

* * *

You rush inside the automatic doors, grinding to a halt at the desk. The receptionist looks up worriedly, somewhere in the back of your mind you know that this must be the hardest part of her job - dealing with the panicked and worried visitor who come in straight after the accident, but you could care less right now as you breathe out the name 'Ritsu Tainaka?' and she gives you the room number.

You dash off down the halls, desperate to find her and make sure she's okay when you come across Mugi waiting in one of the many waiting rooms in the hospital for the different wings.

"Mugi!" You nearly yell but hold your composure a bit more, still enough of you is calm to remember that your in a hospital.

Mugi immediately jumps up and rushes over to embrace you in what you know she intends to be a comforting hug but with Ritsu injured, nothing can comfort you and this feels like more of a formality than anything.

"The Doctors are examining her for any permanent damage so we have to wait before we can see her..." She says, worry clearly painted on her features though it's obvious she was trying to hide it and be strong to support you.

You try to smile weakly but it comes out as more of a grimace and you both take a seat as Mugi recalls exactly what happened.

She finishes recalling the events of earlier and you've never hated drunk drivers as much in your life as you do now.

* * *

It's an hour longer before the doctor comes in calling out for Ritsu's visitors. You and Mugi immediately rush up and you can't help the panicked question that escapes as you rush to the doctor.

"Is she okay? Is she awake?"

The doctor frowns before replying with "She's okay but she's not awake and thats a problem. She should have woken up by now but she hasn't and we haven't found any signs of internal damage anywhere but we'll do an MRI tomorrow just to be safe. I'm sorry for not having any better news to tell you."

You pale and nod wordlessly, following the doctor and gripping tightly to Mugi's hand as a source of temporary comfort as she follows behind you silently.

You reach her room and when you enter it seems almost as though Ritsu is just sleeping and if it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, your sure a smile would have adorned your features, but instead you just relinquish your hold on Mugi's hand and immediately hurry over to the bed, gently gripping Ritsu's limp hand instead.

"I know we just got here but it is only family visiting hours.." The doctor says apologetically.

"Please..." You plead, "I'm her girlfriend, I'm the only family she has in New York..." You look to the doctor desperately and he just nods understandingly, stepping out and closing the door to allow you to get comfy as he's probably already realised that you'll be staying with her the night.

You tuck your legs up onto the chair and finally allow the tears you've been holding back to spill over your cheeks as Mugi stands behind you, gently rubbing your back and trying her best to give you enough space to see Ritsu.

* * *

The last thing you remember from last night is crying yourself to sleep next to Ritsu's bed. You were awoken this morning by the doctor coming in again to tell you that it was time to take Ritsu away for her MRI and he offers you to come along as well instead of waiting in her room. You nod silently again and notice that Mugi is nowhere to be seen, but there is a note on the bedside stand that you pick up. In Mugi's neat cursive it clearly reads:

' _ **Mio, I've gone back to yours and Ritsu's to pick you up some clothes and when I'm back I'll have some coffee and breakfast for you, okay? xxx** '_

Thank god for Mugi being here or else you don't know what you would have done this morning.

You follow the doctor and it's about ten minuets before the MRI is done.

He turns to you and relays the information, "Well, the good news is that there's no internal damage anywhere which is good. The bad news is that her body is currently keeping itself comatose because it thinks there is something wrong and it's trying to fix itself."

"So how long will it be till she wakes up?" You ask, relived that there's no permanent damage.

"Thats the thing. We don't know. We've only had a limited number of cases like these where the patient doesn't wake up even thought they aren't injured. It could be days, months, maybe even years... I'm sorry." He finishes with a sad and apologetic smile and you once again nod silently.

"Thank you.." You manage to whisper out before you retreat to Ritsu's room where you find her waiting. You sit next to her and place a delicate kiss on her cheek, praying to god that it's only a few days.

* * *

It's been exactly six months since that day and Ritsu still hasn't woken up. You remain hopeful that it'll be soon though as it's the only way to keep you functioning. The doctors allowed you to bring her home last month and to monitor her from there, informing you that they would contact your school and let them know that you would be absent until such time that Ritsu was better, just like they did after the first couple of days you spent at the hospital.

You've barely been able to eat or sleep at the minute and it shows through your slow, fatigued actions and your relatively slimmer body but you don't care, not while your taking care of Ritsu.

Mugi, Yui and Azusa drop by occasionally and you noticed on the last visit that it seems as though Yui and Azusa had finally confessed to each other and your glad that something good has come out of the last few weeks.

As you've done every day since Ritsu got in her accident, you sit down and talk to her, just telling her how your days was and what happened that was of note, even some things that were stupidly unimportant just to feel some semblance of a normal day with her. You recount how much you miss her in the same words that you always use and you cry afterwards, not expecting anything to happen before you get in bed too and slowly drift into a restless sleep that feels empty because her arms aren't there to wrap around you and keep you safe like she always does.

And all you can dream about as you sleep each night is how much you miss her.

* * *

It's been three more months and though you still try to hold the hope in your heart that she will wake up, everyone around you is losing faith.

Your mother came to visit yesterday and while you know she adores Ritsu and knows how much she means to you, what she said has only made you feel broken and detached from her.

* * *

 ** _(FLASHBACK)_**

 ** _"Mio, How is she?" It starts with the usual. You tell her that there have been no signs of change with of course is both good and bad. She's not getting worse, but she's definitely not getting any better._**

 ** _Your mother sighs sadly and you both sit down on the couch in the main room. Your bedroom is off limits to everyone else ever since Ritsu's mother wanted to see her for the first time since the accident and anded up having a 4 hour breakdown._**

 ** _"Mio, you know I love you and Ritsu and I'm so sorry this happened but..." She pauses and you almost frown, already knowing where she was going to take this._**

 ** _"But what Mother? I love Ritsu and she will wake up, and it's my job to take care of her and be here when she does." You scowl at the floor, crossing your arms and huffing ever so slightly._**

 ** _You can feel her sad eyes bore into you as she says, "I know dear, but it's been nine months. Maybe you ought to let Ritsu live out the rest of her life in the hospital so that you can finish your education and move on. I know this hurts dear but I only want what's best for yo-"_**

 ** _"NO!" You yell, rage pulsing through your whole body, "I WILL NOT LEAVE HER!" You burst up from your chair but calm your voice, "I think it's best if you leave now mother." Your bangs are covering your eyes so your mother can't see the tears that escape as she stands up to leave._**

 ** _"Just. I'm sorry Mio, but I'm just trying to be realistic." She says before the door softly clicks shut and your left to collapse to your knee's in tears._**

 ** _You really wish that you had Ritsu to just hold you right now._**

 ** _(END FLASHBACK)_**

* * *

"I don't know why everyones given up on you," You say as you lean into her side on the bed, one arm curled around her waist and your head nestled into her neck as you hear her soft breathing, "But I won't. I promise you Ritsu, I'll never give up and leave you, not as long as my heart still beats,"

And then you feel it. What you've been waiting for these nine months. You gasp and an involuntary tear slips out as Ritsu rolls over and cuddles into you muttering one thing in her sleep that could make you scream, cry and jump with pure joy.

"Mio..."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay so this didn't take as long to write as I thought it would and I hope there aren't any spelling errors or anything that totally ruin this for you guys but this is the final product! I really didn't know what I wanted to do with the end till I got there so I hope this is good and it doesn't have too much of a fluffy-lovey-dovey sort of ending but enough of one to provoke some kind of emotional reaction!**

 **I hope this was as good for you guys to read as it was for me to write and if you like then please leave a review letting me know what you think and if there are any ways I could improve!**

 **(And if you want me to add any kind of extras or different endings or something then let me know!)**

 **Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: So I reread the original and since it my holiday and I finished college early I have some time on my hands and with the motivation I have from the Wayhaught fanfictions I've been doing recently, I'm going to add a chapter to this. I'd like to say first though that I am so, incredibly sorry its taken me 2 years to do this xD**

* * *

Your mouth feels cottony and dry, like you havent had a drink in days and your arms feel as heavy as lead. Your eyes feel like they're glued shut, your lids are that heavy to lift but you try anyway and manage to open them the slightest bit.

You can feel the heat of her next to you, thawing your bones and the slowness of your joints. You don't know why your body feels this way but you ignore it, your brain too tired to care right now. All that matters to you is that she's pressed into you right now and your arms aren't wrapped around her like they should be and so you seek to rectify that. You roll over so that your as pressed into her as she is to you and you hear her gasp and feel a small wet drop hit your arm.

You assume that it must be a tear as it is soon joined by many more and your tired brain manages to conjur up a sense of concern and you force yourself to speak.

"Mio..." You say quietly, unsure as to why your voice feels so harsh and strained and why it seems to hit your ears like the loud beat of a drum but again not caring because she's crying clearly and you need to find out why.

You squeeze her in your arms, inoring the complaints from your muscles at doing so and force your eyes to open further to which they comply and the light hits your eyes and they water slightly. You dont know why but everything looks so saturated and bright that it stings.

"R - Ritsu..?!" Mio asks, her voice is quiet and shocked, you can tell but it still feels like a shout into your ears. _What is going on here?_ You think before dismissing the question temporarily.

"Yeah, course," You reply wondering why she sounds so shocked and almost... scared you think, "Who else is it going to be?" Your voice is so raspy you feel desperate for a drink of water but you make no move to go get some, Mio being the only thing you care about right now. _Why is she crying, have I done something_ you ask yourself as she cries harder.

...

You woke up 10 minutes ago and since then the following events have occured: she cried for 5 minutes as you held her and wiped her tears even though your arms felt dead and too heavy, you asked what was wrong and she just shook her head, then she got up and made a simple sandwich and a glass of water and now she's returned and is carefully feeding you and helping you drink your water.

You haven't a clue as to why Mio seems so sad and yet happy but you roll with it for now as she clearly doesnt seem to want to explain to you whats going on. Your fine with that for now though because you've always said that she can take as long as she needs to tell you anything and that hasn't changed now.

Your sat up slightly now as Mio repositioned you so that you could eat and your eyes dont hurt as much now even though everything is still highly saturated in colour and you notice something is off with Mio. She's moving slowly and her clothes look too baggy for her which is strange.

"Hey Mio," You say and she backs off with the sandwich in her hand and gives you a slightly curious look to say go on, "What date is it today?" She pauses for a second, looking extremely unsure about something before she goes to tell you.

* * *

 **AN: I'm making the date 9 months after I originally posted this because it just kinda makes more sense than to have the current date on it which is stupid but hey whatever its my story so.**

* * *

"The 4th... Of June." She says, voice so quiet you almost miss it. She looks positively terrified right now but she keeps her head low and makes no eye contact with you when she says one more thing, "2016."

Your mind spins. She must be joking. She has to be. Theres no way thats the date, yesterday was the 3rd of september,2015 and you remember it clear as daylight. Don't you..? You think for a second and realise you can only remember up to what must have been about 7:40pm when you, Mugi and Azusa were finishing up with work and on your way home.

You frown, trying to remember further ahead than that. You remember walking down the street, you remember Mugi and Azusa stopping at the same small stand they do every day, you remember walking ahead of them a bit with your headphones in as you crossed the road...

Except, you remember now that you never made it across the road, you remember waiting till it was all clear to cross just like Mio had requested you always do and you remember the searing pain that hit your entire body when you were roughly halfway across the street. You remember suddenly seeing the sky as you landed on the floor and all the sounds starting to drift and go quiet. You remember your headphones falling from your ears as you fell. You remember the panicked looks on Mugi and Azusa's faces as they hovered above you and Mugi being on the phone to someone. You remember that the last thing you can remember thinking about is if Mugi was on the phone to Mio.

"What happened to me Mio..." You ask, voice barely above a whisper as you feel tears welling behind your eyes. You hate tears, hate shedding them and looking like a big weak baby but you can feel them now and you do nothing to stop them from falling for once. You see Mio lift her head, crying heavy but silent tears.

"You...You were in an accident, with a..." She allows a sob to fall out and her head to drop again before she spits out the words "Drunk Driver," She says them so viciously its like she has a personal vendetta against them. "We took you to the hospital, or rather Mugi and Azusa did and when I got there the doctor told me you were fine but you couldnt wake up." She explains, tears still flowing and you reach over to wipe hers absentmindedly and she looks up again, a look of utter sadness on her face, "We tried so hard to figure out what was wrong with you, I made them do every test they could before they released you back to me but they couldnt figure out what was wrong, why you wouldn't wake up..." She sits on the egde of the bed by your legs and you pull her in close while she explains the rest ofthis to you, your mind too confused to formulate any words yourself. "Ritsu you've been comatose for the last 9 months," She finishes, choking on her sobs as they heave out with every breath.

It makes sense now. Why Mio is so thin and tired, why your muscles ache and your body feels heavy and why your throat was so dry, head so tired, eyes and ears so sensetive. It was all from lack of use. You really have been in a coma for 9 months. And Mio has been looking after you.

No.

No, you refuse to accept this.

This is all too much, it can't be true, this can't be whats happening, you remember yesterday, or more accurately, yesterday 9 months ago so clearly. You remember band practice earlier that morning, asking Mio what she wanted for dinner, going to university, going to work. You will yourself to remember more, to remember what happened the rest of that night, convinced this is all some kind of a huge joke.

You try and try and try, feeling the frustration well up inside you as you can't do it, you can't remember past the road and the pain. You feel a sob escape you as you come to accep it. You can't remember the rest of that night or the last 9 months. And you never will.

But Mio always will.

* * *

 **AN: So yeah heres this I guess. Like I said, sorry its 2 years too late.**


End file.
